In 2020, passengers traveled just under 24 billion passenger kilometers on railways in the Americas. The region trails behind Europe and APAC.
Rail passenger transport collapses amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Rail passenger numbers dropped in all world regions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global passenger demand dropped from 4.2 trillion passenger kilometers to only 2.7 trillion passenger kilometers. In Europe rail passenger traffic dropped by nearly half before rising to around 59 percent of pre-pandemic traffic in 2021.
High-speed rail continues to boom
Despite the downturn in passenger numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are continuing to expand their high-speed rail networks. As of 2022, there were thousands of kilometers of high-speed lines under construction globally. This boom is largely driven by China, which had over 13,000 kilometers of high-speed lines under construction in 2022.
Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region
(in billion passenger kilometers)
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UIC. (August 24, 2023). Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region (in billion passenger kilometers) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/
UIC. "Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region (in billion passenger kilometers)." Chart. August 24, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/
UIC. (2023). Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region (in billion passenger kilometers). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/
UIC. "Global Rail Passenger Traffic from 2018 to 2021, by Region (in Billion Passenger Kilometers)." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Aug 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/
UIC, Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region (in billion passenger kilometers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/ (last visited December 10, 2024)
Global rail passenger traffic from 2018 to 2021, by region (in billion passenger kilometers) [Graph], UIC, August 24, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263546/global-rail-passenger-activity-by-region/